Ryan Reynolds has Wrexham pre-season request denied to show where power truly lies

Wales Online

2 days ago

Ryan Reynolds has Wrexham pre-season request denied to show where power truly lies
Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds has provided an insight into the level of control Phil Parkinson enjoys at Wrexham after revealing how the manager shut down one of his suggestions
Wrexham co-owner Ryan Reynolds has revealed how Phil Parkinson shut down one of his ideas for pre-season
(Image: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA via Getty )
Ryan Reynolds has underscored Phil Parkinson's influence at Wrexham after revealing how the manager overruled one of his ideas. The North Wales side are riding high after achieving promotion from League One in April.
Preparations are underway for the club's first season in the second tier in 43 years. Wrexham recently announced they will be heading on a pre-season tour of Australia and New Zealand in July, with the Red Dragons now enjoying global popularity under Reynolds and co-owner Rob McElhenney.
‌
The "Wrexham Down Under Tour" will see them take on Melbourne Victory, Sydney FC and Wellington Phoenix. Reynolds has now told the Men in Blazers podcast how he also wanted to tag on a friendly against Auckland FC. However, Parkinson rejected the suggestion of taking on the club, which was only formed last year, in favour of returning home.
‌
"I really wanted us to play Auckland FC, which is a new team," Reynolds said. "I just like the idea of the third-oldest football club playing one of the newest. But Phil was like, 'Absolutely not, we are getting these players back to Wales ASAP after Wellington'."
Parkinson's decision was made after poor scheduling was blamed for Wrexham's slow start to life in League Two in 2023. The club flew off on a summer tour of the United States that year, but didn't return until a week before the start of the season, leaving little time to reacclimatise.
Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson (centre) and owners Ryan Reynolds (left) and Rob McElhenney (right) have enjoyed huge success together
(Image: AMA/Getty Images )
‌
Reynolds said later in the podcast that he trusted the manager "implicitly" and his comments provide an insight into just how much power Parkinson enjoys at Wrexham. The co-owners have made it clear throughout their time at the club that they won't involve themselves in footballing decisions.
It's an approach that appears to have worked, with Parkinson achieving three successive promotions at Wrexham. Former Red Dragons and Manchester United goalkeeper Ben Foster believes it's to the actors' credit that they have surrendered so much control to him.
Speaking in an interview back in December, Foster said: "Phil Parkinson is the guy that has the say so on everything, with players in, players out, new contracts, and even when it comes to media duties. He wants to know what's going on.
‌
"I love the way that they give him all that power. When you've got two massive A-list Hollywood stars running the football club, money could become a massive problem, and you could be haemorrhaging cash all over the place, but he makes sure it doesn't happen.
Watch Welcome to Wrexham season 4 on Disney+
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
from £4.99
Disney+ Get Disney+ here Product Description
Welcome to Wrexham is back on Disney+ for a fourth season. Fans can watch the series with a £4.99 monthly plan, or get 12 months for the price of 10 by paying for a year upfront.
He added: "The manager nowadays is a coach, and they just get the players that the big dogs have brought in, and they have to work with them. But Phil Parkinson still maintains that he is the guy that brings every single player in."
Article continues below
It's an arrangement which Parkinson himself is also clearly happy with after lauding Reynolds and McElhenney's role in Wrexham's success. Speaking shortly after they sealed promotion to the Championship, he said: "The owners have come in and done an amazing job. I'm so pleased for them because they deserve it.
"There's lots of ways you can be supportive as owners. It can be making sure we get a key player when it matters the most. But it can also be support when the results don't go quite as well as you want them to, but still allowing us to do our jobs.
"That's what they've always done. They're invested in all of the decisions, but they trust us in our decision making and that's why we've had success over the last three years."